Therapeutic Effects of Garlic: A Review

The therapeutic use of plants can be traced back to history as different cultures from time immemorial have been using plants and plant product for the prevention and treatment of diseases. Garlic, a plant of genus Allium has long outlived its years of being used just as a food spice. Research has illuminated its broad- spectrum of therapeutic properties against microbial activity. The anti- fungal potency of garlic has been established given the rise in resistance for synthetic pharmaceuticals. Due to the wide range of compounds inherent in Garlic like allicin, ajoene and s-allyl cysteine, scientist has suggested its potency in the treatment of diabetes, immune depression, cardiovascular diseases and more. However, the mechanism of action of some of these constituents of garlic has not been established, creating a niche that many scientists are working tirelessly to fill.

Keywords: Anti-Fungal potency; Synthetic pharmaceuticals; Microbial activity; Immune depression; Niche; Allicin; Ajoene; S-allyl cysteine